DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of mechanical engineering and automobile engineering. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a bead spacer for tubeless tires and a method of positioning thereof.
BACKGROUND
The tubed pneumatic tire fails due to number of reasons, one of the key reasons being a puncture. The main drawback with the tubed tire is that failure of the inner tube leads to sudden loss of air, leading to loss of control of the vehicle. This problem is mitigated in tubeless tires where the tire and the rim form an airtight seal. Air is filled in tubeless tires through the valve which is mounted directly on the rim. When a tubeless tire gets punctured, the object causing the puncture remains embedded in the tire itself, and the air within the tire discharges only through the place of puncture at a very slow pace causing gentle deflation. Tubeless tires thus increase safety by the very absence of the inner tube. But, the main drawback of tubeless tires is that, while shipping and storage, tires are piled one over another, and this causes the two beads to come closer to each another and also get distorted. This improper bead spacing causes difficulty in inflation of the tire, once the tire is mounted on the rim, and is also likely to increase assembling time in a production line. When these tires are mounted on the rim, the tire beads are set in this closed position only. Despite a higher inflation line pressure the closed bead position does not allow the air to open up the beads for a quick seal with the rim. Even though the beads of the tire may be designed to fit well with the rim, the airtight seal does not happen easily, and inflation air tends to escape from the gaps between the tire and rim.
Reference may be made to the following:
Publication No. IN202121019974 relates to a spacer (100) for separation of beads in a tire is provided. The spacer (100) comprises a body (102) having a curved portion defining an inner curved surface (I) and an outer curved surface (O), the curved portion having a first end (104) and a second end (106) at either sides of the curved portion and a top curved surface (108) and a bottom curved surface (110) along a top and bottom of the curved portion, respectively. On insertion of the body (102) into the tire, the first end (104) and the second end (106) are to be placed inside the tire along a width of the tire, and the top curved surface (108) and the bottom curved surface (110) are to abut against a top sidewall portion and a bottom sidewall portion of the tire to cause separation of the beads of the tire. The spacer (100) is made of organic fibrous material which is eco-friendly and cost effective.
Publication No. US2754960 relates to a corrugated board spacer in the shape of a flat strip folded to form a polygon having a perimeter substantially greater than the inside perimeter of the tire beads. The edges of the sides of the polygon are curved concavely so as to fit snugly against the interior walls of the tire. The strip is thus adapted to be inserted completely within the interior of the tire and to be wedged in position between the sidewalls of the tire in a manner to hold the beads spaced apart by the required amount. The spacer is cheap and easy to make, is mechanically strong and is effective for the desired purpose.
Publication No. US2754961 relates to tubeless tires and more particularly to means for holding the beads of tubeless tires spaced apart during shipping and storage to facilitate the mounting and inflation of such tires on rims. In combination, a tubeless tire and a corrugated board spacer adapted to hold the beads of said tire in spaced apart relation, said spacer comprising a fiat strip of relatively stiff material folded about a plurality of spaced lines extending transversely of the strip to form a flat-sided, closed polygon, said strip being cut away along both edges adjacent the corners of said polygon whereby to form oppositely disposed laterally extending tabs at about the middle portions of the flat sides of said polygon, said spacer being partially inserted in said tire with the sides thereof lying substantially tangential to the inner surfaces of said tire beads and with said tabs lying flat against the inside seating surfaces of said beads and with said cutaway corners extending between and being wedged firmly against said tire beads.
The above-mentioned inventions while trying to provide a solution to maintain space between beads during storage and transport, have not addressed the difficulty that may be encountered in inserting the spacer between beads that have closer beads to start with, or maintaining the rigidity of spacer in a humid atmosphere.
Hence, there exists a need for a spacer that facilitates easy insertion even between closed tire beads and withstands wet or humid atmospheric conditions.
In order to overcome above listed prior art, the present invention aims to provide spacers that are used to hold the beads of tubeless tires spaced apart while shipping and stored in warehouses to facilitate proper mounting and trouble-free inflation of tubeless tires on rims.
SUMMARY
One or more of the problems of the conventional prior art may be overcome by various embodiments of the present disclosure.
In one aspect of the present disclosure, a bead spacer for tubeless tires is proposed. This comprises a face plate with a flange portion wider than bead seats of the tire for establishing contact, an end face oriented towards the interior of the tire, a seating face located between the tire's beads and extending into the tire's interior, along with a turning curve on all corners of the edges connecting said face plate and said end face to ensure smooth rotation. It also has a clamp slot and a grip curve provided on the edges connecting said face plate and said end face for gripping while inserting the spacer inside the tubeless tire.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the seating face of the spacer is adapted to locate against the bead sides when rotated in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.
In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, the flange portion of the face plate is designed to be 3mm-4mm wider than the bead seats of the tire to prevent the spacer from falling inside the tire when vertical load is applied.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the seating face is designed to extend into the interior of the tubeless tire to hold the beads spaced apart.
In a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method for using a bead spacer for tubeless tires is outlined. This includes inserting the bead spacer between the beads of the tubeless tire, ensuring that the flange portion of the face plate contacts the bead seats of the tire, and adjusting the orientation of the bead spacer so that the end face is facing towards the interior of the tire. It also involves rotating the spacer in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction until the seating face of the spacer is located against the bead sides.
In another aspect of this disclosure, the bead spacer has a width slightly greater than the rim width of the designated rim on which the tire is to be mounted to prevent the spacer from falling into the tire when vertical load is applied.
In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a turning curve is present on all corners of the edges connecting face plate and end face to ensure smooth rotation of the bead spacer.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, a clamp slot and a grip curve are utilized to provide grip while inserting the spacer inside the tubeless tire.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, show certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. In the drawing,
Figure 1A illustrates side view of a bead spacers, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
Figure 1B illustrates a top view of the bead spacers, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
Figure 1C illustrates an isometric view of the bead spacers, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
Figure 1D illustrates a front view of the bead spacers, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
Figure 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a tubeless tire showing the bead spacers inserted inside, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; and
Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart that depicts a method of positioning a bead spacer for tubeless tires, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
It is to be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only a preferred embodiment of the invention and is therefore not to be considered limiting of the invention's scope as it may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the following description and drawings are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certain instances, known details are not described in order to avoid obscuring the description.
Although the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to the exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and additions may be made therein and thereto, without parting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosed principles. The features and advantages of the disclosure can be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features of the disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or can be learned by the practice of the principles set forth herein.
In order to overcome above listed prior art, the present invention aims to provide spacers that are used to hold the beads of tubeless tires spaced apart while shipping and stored in warehouses to facilitate proper mounting and trouble-free inflation of tubeless tires on rims.
Figure 1A illustrates side view of a bead spacers 100, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Figure 1B illustrates a top view of the bead spacers 100, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Figure 1C illustrates an isometric view of the bead spacers 100, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Figure 1D illustrates a front view of the bead spacers 100, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The bead spacer (100) for tubeless tires, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The bead spaced (100) includes a face place (1), an end face (2), a clamp slot (3), a grip curve (4), a seating face (5), and a turning curve (6).
The face plate (1) with a flange portion wider than bead seats of the tubeless tires for establishing contact.
The end face (2) oriented towards the interior of the tubeless tire.
The seating face (5) located between the tire's beads and extending into the tubeless tire's interior.
The turning curve (6) on all corners of edges connecting said face plate (1) and said end face (2) to ensure smooth rotation.
The clamp slot (3) and a grip curve (4) provided on the edges connecting said face plate (1) and said end face (2) for gripping while inserting the spacer inside the tubeless tire.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the width of the spacer is slightly greater than the rim width of the designated rim on which the tire is to be mounted.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the seating face (5) of the spacer is adapted to locate against the bead sides when rotated in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the flange portion of the face plate is designed to be 3mm-4mm wider than the bead seats of the tire to prevent the spacer from falling inside the tire when vertical load is applied.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the seating face (5) is designed to extend into the interior of the tubeless tire to hold the beads spaced apart.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the spacer 100 is very effective in maintaining the desired space between the beads and enables a quick seal between the tyre bead and rim at the time of assembly for normal inflation to take place.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the spacer 100 has clamping slot and grip curve throughout the edges connecting face plate and end face, the weight of the spacer will be less.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the spacer 100 does not have any sharp edges, and hence will not damage the tires or cause injury to the person who is inserting or removing the spacers. Even though it weighs less, it has enough mechanical strength to do the intended job.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the spacer 100 allows the narrower part to be inserted between the beads, and then rotating either or clockwise easily due to the rounded corners, to make the wider part of the spacer to make contact with the beads, and thus separating the two beads to the desired width. The same clockwise or anticlockwise rotation can be used to easily remove the spacer before using the tyre.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the bead spacer is adapted to be inserted between the beads 7 of tubeless tire 8 as shown in figure 2, with the seating face 5 lying between the beads and extending into the interior of the tubeless tire. To locate the spacer 100 between the beads to hold the beads spaced apart, the flange portion of face plate 9, that are 3mm-4mm wider than the bead seats, are made to contact with the bead seats of the tire while the end face is facing towards interior of the tire and rotated in clockwise/anticlockwise direction until the contacting face 5 of the spacer 100 is located against the bead sides.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, to ensure smooth rotation, a turning curve 6 is provided on all the corners of the edges connecting face plate and end face. To have the grip while inserting the spacer 100 inside the tubeless tire, clamp slot 3 and grip curve 4 are provided on the edges connecting face plate and end face. The width of the spacer 100 indicated as ‘A’ in figure 2, is slightly greater than the rim width of the designated rim on which the tire is to be mounted. The width of the face plate plays the function of preventing the spacer 100 falling inside the tire while vertical load is applied.
Figure 3 illustrates a method 300 for positioning a bead spacer for tubeless tires. The method 300 include the following steps:
At step 302, the bead spacer is inserted between the beads of the tubeless tire.
At step 304, the flange portion of the face plate contacts the bead seats of the tire is ensured.
At step 306, the orientation of the bead spacer is adjusted so that the end face is facing towards the interior of the tire.
At step 308, the spacer is rotated in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction until the seating face of the spacer is located against the bead sides.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, the bead spacer has a width slightly greater than the rim width of the designated rim on which the tire is to be mounted to prevent the spacer from falling into the tire when vertical load is applied.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, a turning curve (6) is present on all corners of the edges connecting face plate (1) and end face (2) to ensure smooth rotation of the bead spacer.
In some aspects of the present disclosure, a clamp slot (3) and a grip curve (4) are utilized to provide grip while inserting the spacer inside the tubeless tire.
Example 1: Selection and properties of spacer material
The spacer 100 may be a plastic spacer and can have the below basic properties:
Chemical Name: Polypropylene (Type – Homopolymer)
Units Typical Values
Polypropylene Content % Minimum 99
Melting point °C 140 – 170
Density g/cm3 0.85-0.95
Ash Content % nil
Decomposition Temp. °C Over 300
Other property Odourless
The mass production of this spacer 100 can be implemented using blow molding at low cost.
Plastic is the material of choice for the present invention. Any material that has the required rigidity, is cheap, can be easily produced/manufactured, and does not get affected by wet or humid weather can be used
Advantages:
- The present disclosure provides proper mounting and gentle inflation of the tubeless tires on rims.
- The present disclosure provides easy insertion and removal of spacers in the tubeless tire by rotating the spacers inside the space between beads.
- The present disclosure provides easy-to-make and cost-effective spacers for the beads of the tubeless tire.
- The present disclosure provides proper insertion and removal of the spacers without damaging the tire.
- The present disclosure provides a reduction of tire damages during shipping/ storage.
- The present disclosure provides a minimal tire rejection during installation.
It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The implementation set forth in the foregoing description do not represent all implementations consistent with the subject matter described herein. Instead, they are merely some examples consistent with aspects related to the described subject matter. Although a few variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, further features and/or variations can be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, the implementation described can be directed to various combinations and sub combinations of the disclosed features and/or combinations and sub combinations of the several further features disclosed above. In addition, the logic flows depicted in the accompany figures and/or described herein do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other implementations may be within the scope of the following claims.
,CLAIMS:1. A bead spacer (100) for tubeless tires comprising:
a face plate (1) with a flange portion wider than bead seats of the tubeless tires for establishing contact;
an end face (2) oriented towards the interior of the tubeless tire;
a seating face (5) located between the tire's beads and extending into the tubeless tire's interior;
a turning curve (6) on all corners of edges connecting said face plate (1) and said end face (2) to ensure smooth rotation; and
a clamp slot (3) and a grip curve (4) provided on the edges connecting said face plate (1) and said end face (2) for gripping while inserting the spacer inside the tubeless tire.
2. The bead spacer (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the width of the spacer is slightly greater than the rim width of the designated rim on which the tire is to be mounted.
3. The bead spacer (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seating face (5) of the spacer is adapted to locate against the bead sides when rotated in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.
4. The bead spacer (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flange portion of the face plate is designed to be 3mm-4mm wider than the bead seats of the tire to prevent the spacer from falling inside the tire when vertical load is applied.
5. The bead spacer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the seating face (5) is designed to extend into the interior of the tubeless tire to hold the beads spaced apart.
6. A method (300) for positioning a bead spacer for tubeless tires comprising:
inserting (302) the bead spacer between the beads of the tubeless tire;
ensuring (304) that the flange portion of the face plate contacts the bead seats of the tire;
adjusting (306) the orientation of the bead spacer so that the end face is facing towards the interior of the tire; and
rotating (308) the spacer in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction until the seating face of the spacer is located against the bead sides.
7. The method (300) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the bead spacer has a width slightly greater than the rim width of the designated rim on which the tire is to be mounted to prevent the spacer from falling into the tire when vertical load is applied.
8. The method (300) as claimed in claim 7, wherein a turning curve (6) is present on all corners of the edges connecting face plate (1) and end face (2) to ensure smooth rotation of the bead spacer.
9. The method (300) as claimed claim 6, wherein a clamp slot (3) and a grip curve (4) are utilized to provide grip while inserting the spacer inside the tubeless tire.